Natural Process Coffee Beans — Sweet, Fruity, and Whole-Cherry Dried 215

Natural process is the oldest way of preparing coffee, and these days it's also one of the most popular. The natural process coffee beans on this page have all been dried with the cherry still on the bean — fruit, mucilage and all — instead of being washed clean before drying.

The technique is simple in principle. Pickers harvest ripe cherries, the cherries get spread on raised African beds, patios or drying tables, and they sit in the sun for two to four weeks while the fruit slowly dehydrates around the seed. As the sugars in the fruit ferment and the moisture drops, the seed inside absorbs flavour from the cherry — which is why naturals taste so different from washed coffees of the same origin.

Expect a bigger, sweeter, more fruit-forward cup. Common natural-process flavours include strawberry, blueberry, ripe stone fruit, red wine, dried apricot, jammy berry and sometimes a tropical edge like mango or passion fruit. Body tends to be heavier than washed, acidity rounder, and the finish often carries a slight winey character that some people fall in love with immediately.

The trade-off is consistency. Naturals are harder to process well — too much fermentation and you get vinegar or rotting fruit notes; too little and you lose the magic. The producers who do it consistently command premium prices for good reason.

This category includes natural process coffees from Ethiopia, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia and beyond. If you've only been drinking washed coffees, this is the section that will widen your taste vocabulary fast. Browse below, or go back to the full shop.